


Celebrating Life in a Place of Death

by Gyhl



Category: Diablo III
Genre: Community: fandomweekly, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 13:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6081168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gyhl/pseuds/Gyhl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after the events of Diablo III, the Nephalem return to New Tristram.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Celebrating Life in a Place of Death

**Author's Note:**

> The names are according to Heroes of the Storm. And canonically, the Nephalem is kinda like the Slayer, one in a generation to face the forces of darkness. So liberties were taken.

It had been over a year since the battle of the Silver Spire. The two sides of the Eternal Conflict had pulled back, although minor skirmishes still raged across the ethereal planes and Sanctuary, the mortal realm. The six Nephalem had promised to try and return on this day, the day that would have been Leah's 22nd birthday, but only three of them had been able to: Johanna the Crusader, Li-Ming the Wizard, and Valla the Demon Hunter. They knew the other three - Kharazim the Monk, Nazeebo the Witch Doctor, and Sonya the Barbarian - were alive and well, or as well as professional warriors would be. But as the Nephalem, their abilities were needed from Westmarch to Xiansai.

They had gathered in the Slaughtered Lamb Inn. An appropriate locale, both in name and place. This was where they had met Leah, where they had all come together to battle the forces of Hell. And Leah had been a slaughtered lamb, sacrificed by her mother for her father's dark purposes. Her body had become the vessel for the Lords of Hel, and her soul cast off or consumed in the process. 

Li-Ming was sitting, legs crossed, and levitating a few feet off the floor instead of sitting in a chair. She took every opportunity to show off her arcane abilities. Johanna was sitting properly, her shield and flail propped up against the wall beside her, perfectly in reach if the undead or demons decided to make a move on New Tristram. Again. Valla had her chair propped up on its back legs, her feet in those ridiculously heeled boots up on the table. Her twin crossbows were hanging off the back of the chair. Tyrael, the fallen angel who had chosen to become human, was carrying out platters of food.

"Are you certain you do not want help?" Johanna asked him, eyeing the size of the platters.

"I can manage," he answered simply enough, for Tyrael anyway. The mortal angel still spoke in pronouncements, as though he were addressing the Angiris Council of the High Heavens. 

Li-Ming's form shimmered and disappeared. When she reappeared, she had a stack of plates in her lap and a mischievous smirk on his face. "Angels never want to admit they need help from us mortals."

She tossed them, one plate at a time, and used her magic to guide each to their place. All except for Valla's, which hovered above her boots. The Demon Hunter eyed the Wizard silently, her glowing eyes almost issuing a challenge. Li-Ming's smirk only grew and she fell from her spot in the air, landing delicately enough, but sending out magic shock-waves that knocked Valla's chair over.

"Oops." She let the plate settle on the now empty spot on the table.

Valla had moved as soon as she felt the chair moving, tumbling off the side and springing one-handed into a cartwheel as she grabbed one of her crossbows with her other hand. It was leveled at Li-Ming when she was on her feet again, although there was no real threat. If there had been, she would have started firing bolts as she moved.

To acknowledge that, she shrugged and lowered the crossbow. "Habit," she said with no real apology in her voice.

Johanna righted Valla's chair without comment and took one of the platters from Tyrael. "What meat is this?" she gave it a curious sniff before putting it on the table.

"Lorath and I killed several Chargers yestereve."

The Wizard's smirk disappeared in a flash. "I've always wanted to eat a beast twisted by demonic forces." Her words were dryly sarcastic.

"It will not corrupt you," Johanna offered as a calm reassurance. "I have been forced several times to eat them. They do not taste much different from their domesticated cousins."

"Shouldn't you... I don't know... do some sort of consecrating thing to it?"

Johanna laughed softly but nodded. "If it will ease your concerns."

Valla took the other platter from Tyrael and set it on the table. "Should we..." she shrugged awkwardly. She was so accustomed to being alone, to not really caring about others. "Since you're saying a prayer anyway?"

Johanna nodded and waited for Tyrael and Li-Ming to sit. She said a prayer to the Light and the ground around her glowed with holy power. She called on the Light to purify the meat and for the safety of Leah's soul, which they could only pray was not in Hell. She paused and, instead of ending her prayer, she asked for the Light to watch over the soul of her fallen master whose name she took as a Crusader must; for the soul of Isendra, the Sorceress who taught Li-Ming; and Halissa, Valla's sister who had been dead for over two decades.

Valla speared a piece of the meat and smirked at Li-Ming. "I promise to make your death quick if it corrupts you."

"Doesn't that make me feel just ever so much better?"

Tyrael moved the conversation away from one of the Nephalem becoming corrupted. Not because it was something of a worry among the Archangels (because it was, oh it certainly was) but because he had consulted Lorath about the idea of birthday celebrations and such dark topics were not generally part of it.

Somehow, the Nephalem managed to find light-hearted things about Leah to talk about. Her kindness, her stories growing up with the man who'd adopted her, her desire to one day open an inn. Night had long since fallen before they stopped talking and laughing. In the morning, they would have to go their separate ways again, back to the battles that would last until they each fell. But for the moment, all of that was far away.


End file.
